Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1887-09-30
NO. 80.

]
| in down.
"Sabr Ellen would not look at her moth
er, but She ran out and put her face up tot
chink in the fence (which had existed only
since her mothers illness) and called to Or
! lando, who was to be seen near the fence,
with a carpenter and his hired man.
Il really don't think you ought 10 take
| the fence down. ! am afraid mother will
never get over it, she said, with as much
of reproachfu glance as the width of the
chink would allow.
Take the fence down You don't think
l would do such a thing as that while your
mother lives ~ said Orlando
"Noo,n said Sabr' Ellen, family and if
the chink had been a little wider he could
not have failed TO see a shade of disappoint-
meme on her face.
"I'm only having a new grape trells
built. | hope the hammering doesn't dis
| turb her y
moo" said Sabr' Ellen, faintly, again,
and turned away The carpenter was with
| in hearing besides, what there for her
to say if he did not choose to tell her She
almost thought MISSY had been mistaken,
but as she ran back TO the house, little Mrs.
| Favor, the new minister's wife called to
her over the gate. Sabr' Ellen liked her,
partly, perhaps, from a sense of gratitude
| that she had prevented the new minister
| from coming to 'Scutney Corner a bachelor.
"This is very strange and very hard-for
your mother, said little Mrs. Favor but
| can't think that Orlando Grier is such
Shylock as to do what they say he will.
| And-and anyway l can't help thinking
how often the Lords ways do bring good
out of evil
"Oh no 'Lando isn't Shylock at all,
said Sabr Ellen, with little sigh. 'And
can't see how any good is coming out of
| it, And she checked abruptly little Mrs.
| Favor's flow of sympathy.
Meanwhile MISSY was Offering consola-
| ton to old Mis- Prouty. 81 don't believe
| twill hurt you a mite to be carried out on
feather-bed, let the doctor say what he
will but as for stayin in the house while
it's movin' why-why there was old Gran
| ny Blinn that was struck by piece of
| plasterin'-n
"M'lissy Pringe, shouldn't live through
either of them things. I'm poor broken
down old woman and the Lords hand is
heavy upon me, and don't know but what
| it's in judgment" said old Mis- Prouty, TO
whom the night seemed to have brought
| counsel ! ando Grier is turnin' out so
much like his father that don't know as l
can compermise with him. Missy"
| "All you've got to do is to tell him he
can have Sabr' Ellen, said Missy, briskly.
"And sakes what a sight of trouble that
will save ~
Old Mis- Prouty swallowed what seemed
| to be a very hard lump in her throat. "You
can tell him so, Missy
Land | don't expect he'd believe me,
you've held out so long. You'll have to do
it yourself
Poor old Mis- Prouty fell back upon her
| pillow and raised her eyes to heaven.
Don't you expect you'd better 90 down
and see how Mis- Reuel is gettin along with
the twins mumps = said MISSY, as Sabr
Ellen came in. And Sabr' Ellen caught
eagerly at the idea of little release from
her mothers society, which might reasona-
bly, be expected TO be unusually trying at
this juncture.
As soon as Sabr' Ellen was out of hear
ing, Mlissy summoned Orlando "You go
right III and see Mis- Prouty, and she'll give
her consent to your marryin' Sabr Ellen.
And whatever you've been a-meanin' to do
about the house, you needn't let on. And
don't you deny nothn' that she accuses you
Of if it's burnin' John Rogers"
Orlando seemed to be petrifed with as
tonishment, or with a horror of meeting
old Mis- Prouty. But he went into her
room after a moments hesitation, and
MISSY observed with satisfaction that he
| stood very erect and looked unterrified.
you've got to be the master, Lando
Grier," said harsh voice from the little
crouching heap on the bed "and you've
got the will well as the power to crush
| me and | can't do anything but to give in.
If marryin' Sabr' Ellen will make you let
the old house stay right here as long as |
do, and put the fence up again, why, then
YOU can marry her but l don't want to
know anything about the weddin', nor have
folks come talkin to me about it,.
Orlando's face, as Missy saw it through
the key-hole, showed mingling of bewil-
derment and joy. I'm sure neither Sabr'
Ellen nor | would wish to have anything to
trouble you, he stammered. And then he
burst forth impetuously; Il wish you would
| let me be a real son to you 1t seems a
pity that such little thing should make
lifelong division and I've always thought
YOU were badly treated in the beginning
and I'm sure father thought so before he
died
He never said so, and I'm sure I never
| expected you would The slow-coming,
pitiful tears of old age were running down
old Mis- Proutys cheeks. Twas a little
mite of a thing, want it, me a-knittin' in
prayer-meetin to keep myself awake
And it's most spoiled my life. Twas neigh
bors-neighbors and friends. And mebbe
| | ought to have bore more, and been for
givin'. l thought it all over layin' here last
night. Seems as if it want never too late
for the Lord to let folks see clearer. And
seein' the fence is down, 'Lando you need
MT put it up again"
She held out her little, withered, trem-
bling hand, and Orando's strong one closed
over it firmly and tenderly.
81 don't know what it all means MISSY
Pringle, but it's the best day ever saw"
said Orlando coming out of the room.
90 means that sOmebOlV had to be
ter of the situation, N knew you was too
tender hearted, whatever folks might say.
Now l should think the best thing you could
do would be to hitch up and fetch Sabr' FL
len home from Mis- Reuel Green's"
Three years afterward the same CONNER
cial traveller walked into the store at 'Scut-
ney Corner from the hotel across the way,
and found almost the same group gathered
about the store. The old order changed
very little at Scutney Corner.
Good evenin, Mr.. Prouty," said old
Seth Tibbetts, with a pardonable pride in
his memory.
"Evenin' all but my name is Robinson
C. Washington Robinson
well, now I'm beat if you amt 'Lias
Proutys son, that was here three years
ago and sold your half of the old farm to
'Lando Grier And good thing it turned
out to be, though some has never thought
quite the same of 'Iando for bein' so hard TO
the old lady, and there's been doubts cast on
his legal rights. He was goin' to move the
house right off without givin' her a chance
to get out some say he set out TO burn it
down. We all know how quick that fence
come down There is something hard in
the Grier mater for folks that finds it.
Scared the old lady sot she give right in,
and he and Sabr' Ellen was married that
very week. And the two houses are made
into one, with big hall in the middle, and
painted up and fixed up so't you wouldn't
never know 'em. And old Mis- Prouty she
sets up most of the time, and is chippered
up and softened down too, and she takes IA
sight of comfort in the little boy, that is
named Lyman 'Lando after his two grand
fathers
The little, shrewd open mouthed face of
the commercial traveller looked like an ex-
clamation point.
Land of Goshen you do beat all. Try
in TO chaff me for tellin' you that yarn, are
you You say it's fi1ief Well, | declare
he's a smart one Let it go for true, and
scarf the old lady into lettin' him marry
her daughter, and never bas let on for fear
of rilin' her up agin Well, knew he was
smart, he saw so quick that them dye stuifs
was the real thing Well, you see, You
folks round here was so great for telin'
yarns that got kind of sick of it heard
the same story about them two quarrelin'
deacons up 10 'Scutney Centre the night be-
fore, when / was askin' who owned the
woollen mills over here / come up here
ON purpose TO sell my dye stuffs 10 'Lando
Grier. They told me about Deacon Prou-
ty's brother Lias that run away, and it
Jest occurred 10 me that / could finish up
your yarn in good shape I'm consid able
=. II